World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 Final between India and Australia is scheduled to be played at The Oval in London from 7th June 2023. Both teams have announced their 15 member squad for the upcoming WTC Final. India have named three spinners in their squad including Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. On the other hand Australia has named only Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy as specialist spinners.
One of the biggest debates that is going right now is whether India should play two spinners or only one in the WTC Final. Australian is expected to field only Nathan Lyon as the specialist spinner and go with the pace trio of Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins in the Final. There is not much to discuss about the Aussies but the Indian team is still deliberating about the bowling options.
Some experts are suggesting that India should go with pace heavy attack and include either Shardul Thakur or Jaydev Unadkat instead of Ravichandran Ashwin in the playing 11 for WTC Final. While others are arguing that both Jadeja and Ashwin should play in the WTC Final 2023.
Also read: WTC Final 2023: India and Australia’s Record at The Oval Cricket Ground
Indian management’s job can be made easy by the spin records of The Oval cricket ground. Surprisingly, The Oval is the best cricket ground for spinners outside Asia. The venue has the best strike rate for spinners excluding the Asian cricket grounds.
Since 2015, spinners have taken 50 wickets at The Oval with an average of 29.1 and a strike rate of 51.2. The next best venue for spinners outside Asia is Port Elizabeth where the spinners have a strike rate of 58.4. Clearly, The Oval has been quite spin friendly over the past 7 or 8 years and spin could play a big role in the WTC Final 2023.